Shaker Furniture
Authentic Shaker furniture is hard to come by, but not exceedingly rare. “Shaker style” describes furnishings and interiors that are both warm and simple, centered on unpretentious wooden chairs, tables and cabinets without ornament or embellishment.
The term derives from the popular name for an all-but-vanished American religious sect, whose members crafted honest, modest household furniture and objects as part of their belief in purposeful living and simplicity in all things.
Members of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing — called Shakers, derisively, because they writhed and danced in religious ecstasy during worship — arrived in the United States from England in 1774. Within 50 years, the sect had established 19 self-sufficient communities from Maine to Kentucky, where they lived pure, humble and industrious lives. The furniture and objects the Shakers made reflected their strict rules of behavior. Pieces such as ladder- and slat-back chairs and trestle tables were painstakingly crafted from native woods like maple and cherry, using traditional methods such as mortise-and-tenon and dovetail joinery and lathe turning. They employed strong, straight lines and symmetrical proportions, and decoration of any kind — carving, veneers, inlays — was prohibited, as it would encourage the sins of pride and vanity.
The Shakers movement included some 6,000 members at its peak in the 1860s, but the group practiced celibacy and could attempt to sustain their flock only by recruiting new adherents. Modernity proved too alluring. Today only one tiny Shaker community, in Maine, still exists, though the sect’s heritage is preserved at several historical sites.
To support their communities, the Shakers sold furniture to outsiders, who appreciated its superb quality. While the “Shaker style” label is today given to many plain, simple wooden pieces, it should also denote superior construction and solid materials. As elements in interior design, Shaker furnishings work best in a quiet decor. Modest pieces such as these can become lost among more ornate works. The style is most suitable to a country home — although a Shaker chair or cabinet can make a striking counterpoint in a modernist, urban setting.
As you will see on 1stDibs, Shaker furniture and objects have a deep appeal for their warmth, honesty and graceful simplicity, which make them welcome almost anywhere.
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Shaker Furniture
Fir
Late 19th Century Antique Shaker Furniture
Hardwood
1890s American Antique Shaker Furniture
Wool, Fabric
Mid-19th Century Antique Shaker Furniture
Pine
1870s American Antique Shaker Furniture
Pine
Late 19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Wood, Paint
Mid-19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Hardwood, Oak
Early 19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century English Antique Shaker Furniture
Mahogany
Late 19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Cotton, Wool
19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Pine
1880s American Antique Shaker Furniture
Fabric, Wool
1890s American Antique Shaker Furniture
Wool
1870s American Antique Shaker Furniture
Jute
19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Pine
19th Century Scandinavian Antique Shaker Furniture
Bentwood
Early 19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Cherry
Late 18th Century British Antique Shaker Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Shaker Furniture
Brass
19th Century English Antique Shaker Furniture
Mirror, Hardwood
19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Gesso, Wood, Paint
Early 1800s Chinese Antique Shaker Furniture
Elm
Early 2000s American Shaker Furniture
Laminate
2010s Italian Shaker Furniture
Wood, Walnut
19th Century English Antique Shaker Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Wood
Early 18th Century Chinese Antique Shaker Furniture
Elm
Late 19th Century French Antique Shaker Furniture
Pine
19th Century European Antique Shaker Furniture
Pine
Early 19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Cherry
19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Ash, Maple
Mid-19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Maple
Mid-19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Cotton, Wood
1850s American Antique Shaker Furniture
Cotton, Wood
Mid-19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Cotton, Wood
19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Wood, Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Shaker Furniture
Pine
Late 19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Wood
1880s American Antique Shaker Furniture
Wool, Fabric, Cotton
Mid-19th Century American Antique Shaker Furniture
Pine